It is, of course, generally known to provide loading docks in building for the loading and unloading of products and items into and out of a truck trailer. Specifically, a loading dock is a recessed bay in a building or facility where trucks are loaded and unloaded. They are commonly found on commercial and industrial buildings and warehouses in particular. Loading docks may be exterior, flush with the building envelope, or fully enclosed. They are part of a facility's service or utility infrastructure, typically providing direct access to staging areas, storage rooms, and freight elevators.
A typical loading dock 10 is illustrated in FIG. 1, which is labeled as prior art. Specifically, the loading dock 10 may optionally include a plurality of features, including a door 11, such as an overhead door as illustrated in FIG. 11 and bumpers 12, 14 which protect the dock from truck damage and may also be utilized as a guide by the truck driver when backing up. In addition, the loading dock 10 may include a dock leveler 16, which may include a height-adjustable platform that may be used as a bridge between the dock and a truck, and may be operated by mechanical, hydraulic or air-powered systems. Further, the loading dock may include dock seals 18, 20, which are compressible foam blocks against which a truck may press when parked. Seals are typically used in colder climates to protect goods and people from the weather. Other options may include an overhead canopy 22 which may keep weather from entering the truck or the facility when unloading, and a truck restraint system 24 that may hold the truck in place so that it does not creep during loading and/or unloading of the same.
Another optional feature in a loading dock 10 may be painted lines 26, 28 that may extend from either side of the loading dock on the ground away from the loading dock 10 to aid a truck driver when backing the truck into proper position. However, the painted lines, typically yellow in color, may only be useful if they are visible to a truck driver when backing up the truck. Specifically, if the loading dock is not well maintained and the painted lines are allowed to fade or be removed from the ground, a truck driver will not be able to use them. In addition, if debris, such as leaves or snow covers the ground, the debris may cover the painted line rendering them not visible to a truck driver, and providing no aid to the truck driver.
In addition, while loading docks may have lights to help truck drivers back up trucks at night, the lights may not fully illuminate the painted lines on the ground, rendering them not visible to the truck driver when backing up the truck. Further, if the loading dock lights are not active, the truck driver may be required to back a truck up in darkness.
A need, therefore, exists for apparatuses for aiding a truck driver in backing a truck up to load at a loading dock. Specifically, a need exists for a laser guided truck docking apparatuses and methods of making and using the same.
In addition, a need exists for laser guided truck docking apparatuses that project at least one laser line onto the ground to aid a truck driver in backing a truck up to a dock. Moreover, a need exists for projecting at least one laser line away from a loading dock on the ground to ensure that the line is highly visible to a truck driver backing a truck into a loading dock.
Further, a need exists for a plurality of laser lines that may be projected on the wall next to a loading dock and further extend on the ground away from the loading dock to aid a truck driver in docking a truck. Still further, a need exists for laser guided truck docking apparatuses that are highly visible to a truck driver, no matter the weather conditions or lack of ambient illumination.